PLUS

Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even the youths shall faith and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Psalm 27:13-14 “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Lamentations 3:25 “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”

Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

Luke 6:12 “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Stemming from a saying in athletics, “Taking a Knee” means to take a bit of a break while resting, waiting, and listening. A coach will call his players over to him, and tell them to take a knee. Literally, the players then kneel down to catch their breath while attentively awaiting his thoughts and directions. It isn’t wasted time, but a chance to regroup for the next surge. It gives them the opportunity to renew their strength.

God calls us all to periods of taking a knee as well.  It is as if He calls His people over to Him, and tells us to take a knee. It’s time for us to catch our breaths while we attentively await His thoughts and directions. It isn’t wasted time, but a chance to regroup for the next surge. It gives us the opportunity to renew our strength.

And like our Lord and Saviour, taking a knee must be a regular part of our spiritual cycle and a daily element of our spiritual progression.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO REST, WAIT, AND LISTEN WHEN CALLED FOR BY OUR HEAVENLY COACH. Taking a knee isn’t wasted time, but a chance to regroup for the next surge while giving us the opportunity to renew our strength.

Genesis 39:2-6 “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”

Genesis 39:21-23 “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.”

Joseph thrived because the Lord was with him. Yet, there was an intermediate step that is important to consider.

Because the Lord was with Joseph, he became imminently trustworthy. Even though his master and his prison keeper couldn’t likely put their finger on what made Joseph special, they recognized that he was different from the crowd. They also knew that they could trust him.

As a result, the master and the prison keeper gave Jospeh a massive dose of unchecked responsibility. He became a leader in his master’s land and within the confines of the prison.

His trustworthiness precipitated a promotion in his title and a magnification of his impact.

Society is looking for those things that are trustworthy, because they are rare!

Even though those around us may not be able to put their finger on what makes us special, they will recognize that we are different from the crowd. They will also know that they can trust us. And trustworthiness may precipitate a promotion in our titles and a magnification of our impacts.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE IMMINENTLY TRUSTWORTHY. It should be a natural manifestation of our walk with the Lord. And when this characteristic is evident in our lives, our trustworthiness may precipitate a promotion in our titles and a magnification of our impacts.

II Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

I Corinthians 9:24-27 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

In the Fall of 1777, the Battle of Saratoga provided a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American’s success ruined the British strategy of cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies, boosted the morale of the colonial patriots, and helped secure foreign support for the struggle for American independence.

Four Revolutionary leaders played an oversized role in this victory: General Horatio Gates, General Philip Schuyler, Colonel Daniel Morgan, and General Benedict Arnold. Specifically, General Arnold’s aggressive and courageous action, despite several injuries he received on the battlefield, helped secure this decisive victory. Yet, three years later, Arnold character faltered and failed as he betrayed the revolutionary cause.

The Saratoga Monument stands as a 155-foot-tall memorial to American bravery, skill, and sacrifice on that battlefield. Life sized statues of the leaders provide the highlight at the base of the monument, filling the alcoves that face in each of the cardinal directions. The statues of Gates, Schuyler, and Morgan face to the north, the east, and the west. Yet, the alcove that faces to the south remains empty. It was to be filled with General Arnold’s statue, but it instead stands as a hollow space. His later treachery sullied his memory and caused his legacy to remain empty and hollow. He has become a tragic castaway.

It’s a poignant and powerful reminder for all of us. Even if our reputations today are heroic, they can be sullied in a moment. Our legacies can easily and quickly become empty and hollow. We can become tragic castaways.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ZEALOUSLY MAINTAIN OUR CHARACTERS AND OUR TESTIMONIES. May our unyielding diligence and vigilance ensure that we don’t become tragic castaways.

Isaiah 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Matthew 5:13-16 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Romans 12:20-21 “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

Hessy Levinsons Taft died a few weeks ago at age 91. She lived a normal life, with the most notoriety of her nine decades occurring when she was just an infant. It was during that time that she was selected by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels as the most Aryan-looking baby of 1935. Her baby picture was prominently plastered across the reach of the German regime.

The twist of irony of this dubious honor stems from the fact that Hessy was Jewish.

The photographer of her baby pictures, knowing she was Jewish, intentionally entered her in the contest to subtly demonstrate the absurdity of the Nazi regime. Hessy in her later years referred to this act of defiance as “good revenge.”

Today, we live in a situation that can be characterized as absurd. Evil is labeled good, and good is labeled evil by those who proudly proclaim their wisdom and prudence. Light and darkness are swapped and confused for their true meanings, as are bitter and sweet. In such a situation, how does God tell us to get “good revenge?”

We are to provide a stark contrast, offering saltiness to overcome the unappetizing lack of savour and light to overcome the suffocating darkness.

Furthermore, we are to feed our enemies, while praying for them, doing good to them, loving them, and blessing them.  It is the countercultural and insurgent way to glorify our Father which is in heaven.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO DEMONSTRATE THE TRUTHS OF GOD BY OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD. It is the trusted way to get good revenge on the absurd world all around us.

REFERENCE FOR THIS STORY:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-woman-whose-baby-photo-was-chosen-by-goebbels-as-aryan-exemplar-dies-at-91/

Mark 9: 23-24 “Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Matthew 17:19-21 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 8:10 “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

This is the last post in an eight-part series originating from our new book: In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration. I hope you’ve enjoyed these snippets from a book you should consider for your reading list in 2026.

In my life, I have been consistently warned against using circular logic. In writing or speaking, such a logical fallacy erodes credibility and destroys the foundation of a successful argument. Yet, the following story about our Saviour seems to rely on such a shortcoming:

“Jesus said unto him. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:23-24).

For all of us, we go through periods of waning belief, trust, and faith. When our well is running dry, Jesus reminds us that taking a determined step forward in faith can provide the antidote to a lack of trust and the tonic that can steel our belief.

Thus, it is not circular logic but a principle of faith that helps us maintain momentum even when we feel like stagnating in faithlessness.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST IN GOD EVEN WHEN IT TAKES OVERWHELMING BELIEF AND PRAYER TO BELIEVE. Deliberate belief yields derivative faith.

ADMIN: This PLUS post comes from my new book, In God I Trust: Making Our National Motto My Personal Declaration, written alongside Pastor Brad Wells. You can find it on Amazon here:

Book Link

ADMIN 2: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while firmly trusting in the Lord our God!